The Class of 2010

With the upcoming free agency starting at midnight, the NBA prepares for all eyes to be on them. Where will LeBron, D-Wade, Amare and Chris, Pierce and Dirk, or even Ray Allen and Carlos Boozer, all end up?

You hear endless scenarios about players teaming up, package deals, and obnoxious "World-Wide-Wes" references, and the power of people like Pat Riley and the rich Russian sitting in Jersey.

It's hard to imagine such a hyped and awaited free agency period being a disappointment.

But it will be.

LeBron James' best options to win a championship are easy. He would have a great roster in Chicago, but having the "market me" mentality and the desire to separate himself from Jordan, he'll probably go elsewhere. The Clippers would have a nice starting five with James in southern California, but LeBron probably wouldn't want to go there, either. I've said it once and I'll say it again, I really think this guy is going to stay in Cleveland, probably on a short-term deal.

Wade is staying in Miami. It's not even close. There is no way Pat Riley lets D-Wade walk. They have the most money and they'll spend it on the one of the game's best players. Wade has the ability to go with LeBron shot-for-shot. We've seen this everytime they play each other; they aren't the same player by any means, but Wade can score with the best and has the heart of a lion on the court. South Florida remains lucky on this one.

Amare rumors are swirling today that he'll sign a contract extension in Phoenix. Good for him. They fell one game from going to the finals, under a coach that fits their style and system. It's an attractive place to play and Amare is clearly leaning toward staying on a good team instead of teaming up with others.

Chris Bosh doesn't seem to care about anything except putting his name in the spotlight with Wade and James. Cities don't seem to matter to him -- because Toronto is actually a fantastic city. If he wants to play with Wade, fine. If he wants to play with LeBron, go for it. He's a really great player, but he'll eat up a lot of money for a #2 super star. Someone is going to end up playing with LeBron, so it sounds like Bosh will be that guy.

Pierce and Dirk are more disappointments on the market. They're both going to stay in their home cities, Boston and Dallas, respectively. My personal wish would be that the Celtics would sign Dirk over Pierce, but the homers would probably have me killed.

The bottom line is that most of these players are going to stay where they belong. Joe Johnson and/or Carlos Boozer will probably take big contract offers from the desperate Knicks or Nets, but that's about it. I hope I'm wrong -- I hope these players go to different cities. But if Wade and LeBron (and even a 3rd star) were to team up, that would be really sad and unfortunate for the league. It would be unfortunate that those players could be so ignorant and dumb -- as that move would cost them millions of dollars and be harder on the court than people think. The Celtics won with the big 3 because they were championship-driven veterans -- the players have said themselves they would not have been able to win together at younger ages.

Ladies and gentlemen, congratulations to the class of 2010.